Forza Italia!
Chantilly, Friday, July 3, 2026
After falling in the final and then the semi-finals of the previous two tournaments, Italy finally went all the way when it mattered most, capturing the flagship event of Chantilly’s spring 12-goal trilogy. Following a thrilling final in which neither side ever gave an inch, Riccardo Paganelli and his teammates edged two-time defending champions Occitanie to give Italy its first-ever Polo Nations Cup BARNES title.
Faithful to the game plan that had proved so successful in the semi-finals, the Italians came flying out of the blocks. This time, however, Occitanie, well aware of the tactic, resisted far better than PACA had done two days earlier. Trailing 3-0 in the opening minutes, Isabelle Larenaudie’s side gradually fought its way back before taking the lead at the end of the third chukker. “We wanted to put them under pressure from the very beginning,” explained Professional MVP Tomas Delfino. “Then, once the game opened up a little and they came back at us, we started moving the ball better again and tightened up defensively. That’s when we regained control of the match.”
For Italian captain and Amateur MVP Riccardo Paganelli, the winning formula came down to one word: teamwork: “We started very well because we played as a team. Then, at times, we held onto the ball a little too much. In the closing chukkers we got back to passing the ball and playing for one another. When Tomas, Bautista and Jeronimo start moving the ball the way they can, we’re extremely difficult to beat at this level of polo. That’s what made the difference today.”
Beyond the result itself, the final was also a story of friendship. Two teams whose players have known one another for years, meeting throughout the season and sharing genuine mutual respect: “Occitanie is a team we know extremely well,” Paganelli continued. “We play them regularly and somehow they always find a way to reach the final. We’d already faced them twice this season and they’ve improved with every tournament. Once again today, it was a battle right to the final whistle. The boys gave everything they had, and this victory is the reward for ten years of work.”
Tomas Delfino shared the same feeling: “It was a very tough match, but also a very special one because we were playing against friends. We all know each other very well, and that made the final even more enjoyable. It stayed incredibly close all the way through and, fortunately for us, it eventually went our way.”
For Riccardo Paganelli, lifting the trophy meant far more than simply winning a tournament: “We’ve been building this team for nearly ten years. We started from scratch and, this year at last, we’ve achieved our goal.”
Italy’s captain next chapter will now be written in Tuscany, where he’s preparing to open his own polo club: “That’s our next big project. We’ll focus on developing the club while continuing to play good polo back home. : As a result, the Italian side will not compete in September’s Open de France BARNES: “Not this year. We’ve got a lot of work to do on the fields… but who knows? Maybe next year!”
In the meantime, another priority awaited the newly crowned champions : “Now? It’s time to celebrate… with some Fernet!” laughed Tomas Delfino.
The fourth edition of the Polo Nations Cup BARNES marks the end of the first major chapter of Chantilly’s international grass season. But polo never sleeps at the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly. Next week, the traditional 10-goal Coquetier d’Or will take centre stage before a full July programme of tournaments leading into the summer break. The international spotlight will then return in September with the Open de France BARNES, Europe’s flagship tournament, where sixteen teams and several stars of the Argentine Abierto de Palermo are expected to compete.
STATISTICS
Occitanie: Isabelle Larenaudie 0, Elouan Badarello 2, Ramiro Zavaleta 4 (2 goals), Simon Zavaleta 6 (6 goals, including 1 penalty).
Italy: Riccardo Paganelli 0 (1 goal), Tomas Delfino 5 (3 goals), Bautista Fanelli 3 (1 goal), Jeronimo Fanelli 4 (4 goals, including 2 penalties), plus 1 Penalty 1.
Score progression Italy: 3-0 / 4-2 / 5-4 / 6-6 / 9-8
AACCP Best Playing Pony: Irenita Gritona, bay mare by Los Matchitos Libano out of Power Pimpinela, played and owned by Tomas Delfino, bred by the McDonough family.
Best Playing Pony: GT Troya, played and owned by Simon Zavaleta, bred by Cría Tanoira.
Softshield Professional MVP: Tomas Delfino (Italy).
Drimmer Amateur MVP (Final): Riccardo Paganelli (Italy).
Umpires: Rafa Silva, Clément Gosset and Santi Estella.
Match Streaming
All Polo Nations Cup BARNES matches are available on demand via Pololine TV.
Results and Statistics
Live scores, results and full tournament statistics will be available on the Polo Club’s website and via the ChukkerApp, which also provides coverage of all tournaments played at Chantilly throughout the season.
ABOUT THE POLO CLUB DU DOMAINE DE CHANTILLY :
Founded by Patrick Guerrand Hermès and a group of shareholders in 1995 and managed since then by Philippe Perrier, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly covers an area of 130 hectares. With nine grass pitches and one sand pitch (arena), it is the largest polo club in Europe and has been hosting the renowned French Open since 2001, attracting the world’s best players to this prestigious tournament, one of 60 grass tournaments held each year on the grounds of the Ferme d’Apremont. As the headquarters of the French Polo Federation, the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly is open to all: all matches from April to October are free to the general public. poloclubchantilly.com – @polodechantilly
About U.S. Polo Assn.– Official Jersey and Apparel Sponsor of the Polo Nations Cup BARNES and Open de France BARNES.
We are proud to announce that U.S. Polo Assn. and the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly have renewed their partnership for the 2026 season, marking 4 years of partnership.
U.S. Polo Assn. is the official sports brand of the United States Polo Association (USPA), with a multi-billion-dollar global footprint and worldwide distribution through more than 1,200 U.S. Polo Assn. retail stores and thousands of other points of distribution. The sports brand offers men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, footwear, and accessories across 190 countries worldwide. As one of the world’s top global sports licensors, U.S. Polo Assn.’s mission is to support the polo community and the sport in the United States and around the world.
As last year, U.S. Polo Assn. will serve as the Official Jersey and Apparel Sponsor of the Polo Nations Cup BARNES from June 12 to 27 and the Open de France BARNES from September 3 to 20, 2026, one of the most prominent tournaments on the European calendar. These events will welcome numerous international teams and several of the world’s top players, including Argentine professionals competing in the prestigious Palermo Open.
As the Official Jersey and Apparel Sponsor, U.S. Polo Assn. will provide custom performance jerseys for all participating teams and outfitting for the Polo Club du Domaine de Chantilly staff members.
In collaboration with the French Polo Federation, we look forward to an exceptional 2026 Polo Nations Cup BARNES and Open de France BARNES.
www.uspoloassn.com